Yesterday I did the unthinkable. Something I have never done —nor will I do again— before. I went very early (3:15AM) to stand at the Mall, to be one of the first (or so I thought) to buy the iPhone 4. #

I don’t want to write long about something I am more than half way ashamed of. Suffice it to say that I got an iPhone 4 after standing in line for 14 hours (5:15PM). Never again. #

The photo above was taken by George, around 11:30AM, not even half way my day there. Did I say never again? #

It has been a month since our Jean passed away. Times flies, yet it seems like it was yesterday. Nor a day has passed by without coming to mind, one way or another. We miss her like we did the first day. I truly dislike Warcraft, but I am keeping her toons alive, and advancing. Somehow playing something she dedicated so much time on, where she had so many good friends, gives me the feeling she still lives. Quiet mornings, though, speak otherwise. #

A few posts will be due, to narrate some relevant things from the trip: Iberia and our misplaced luggages (and their English/Spanish phones lines), Hertz and our lemon like rental car, speed limits, Aix-en-Provence hotel, and the high cost of everything. I want to document a few things with photos, so, well, it might take a while. Oh, we also lost a day worth of photos (the ones on Aix-en-Provence), thanks to a brand new Transcend class 6 memory card gone bad. #

We went to Barcelona, Sant Cugat del Valles, Perpignan, Aix-en-Provence, Nice, Monaco, and Monte-Carlo. All and all, as I said, a great vacation. Now, we are glad to be back! #

Kent’s school Awards Ceremony was today. I did not take a picture there, but filmed a bit. The photo above was taken afterwards, at home. He was so happy —and I so proud of him!— to receive the trophy for being the whole third academic year on the Principal’s List (straight A in all subjects). #

I am lucky I got him to smile too! #

Our Dixie died in her sleep, on May 23rd, 2010. Her death brought sorrow, and she is greatly missed each day. We will never forget her sweetness, kindness, good advise… Her gentle smile will live in our memories. #

Rest in peace Maxie Bizzenscooter, Astlyr, Thorir, kitty, Dixie Jean McCoy. We loved you, we miss you, we will remember you. #

Please Santa. I know Christmas is far away, I am just giving you time. The device will be used mainly for family photos and videos. It is a good use, for a good device. Could you… make it so? #

Update: Not sure if I still want it, based on more than one review and their associated comments. #

Note: Someone contacted me, but the email went to spam, and got deleted. Try again please, I have whitelisted the contact form address. Sorry! #

What where those issues? #

They vary, and cover a wide range. So many Bright House technicians has passed by my house, I lost count. The proverbial “how many technicians do Bright House needs…” comes to mind. Issues: #

1. Black out screens, with “Please wait.”
2. Channels with messages stating we are not subscribed (and we are). One channel, or all.
3. Channels “freezing”, having couple of seconds blackouts, and/or couple of seconds of no audio.
4. Channel guide crashing, and freezing.
5. Channel guide becoming sluggish, taking many second to show/hide, or change channels.
6. Loosing Internet connection from seconds, to minutes; randomly, few times a day.
7. Loosing Internet connection and the only way of getting it back is by turning off/on the cable modem.
8. Internet coming to a halt, with all websites, even including the own Bright House.

As you can see, there are many issues. Technicians come, perform their tests and measures, everything checks out and they leave. Nothing gets resolved. On their behalf, their customer service is superb. They follow up, and the keep sending technicians over and over. They are nice, and professional. But the service I am expecting? The cable and Internet service? Stinks. What’s more worrisome, they seem not to know what they are doing, as no one has been able to figure out our problem. Honestly, how many more technicians will they to send? By now I almost know them all. #

They have no competition in my area. There is no one else offering cable service, other than satellite video companies. In my area, they have a monopoly, I have no other choice. If there were competition, they would either fix their issues, or lose customers. I know they would have lose me long ago. #

Is it Youtube serving a very low quality video to 3G users? Is it AT&T doing it? Is it something built-in on iPhone OS? #